From the rooftop to the big stage, Iva Jovic shines on US Open debut

The youngest player in this year’s US Open draw, 16-year-old American wild card Iva Jovic, greew up playing tennis on her apartment roof in Torrance, California against her older sister Mia.

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On Monday, she also hit the heights in Flushing Meadows, defeating former Australian Open semifinalist Magda Linette 6-4, 6-3 to set up a second-round clash against No.29 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova. Jovic, ranked No.389, was playing her first tour-level main draw, and facing a Top 50 player for the first time.

“I literally played on that exact court [Court 15] in the juniors,” Jovic said afterward. “So it felt very comfortable. The atmosphere was pretty much the same. I had a plan about what I was going to do before I started, and there wasn’t any need for crazy adjustments, because it was going well. I’m surprised, but not surprised.”

Jovic’s composed performance, in which she fired 15 winners and broke Linette four times, was characterized by the impeccable timing and control on the ball that has also seen her excel in juniors this year. She is the reigning Australian Open and Wimbledon girls’ doubles champion alongside Tyra Caterina Grant and earned her wild card by winning the USTA U18 National Championships.. It’s a game style that she patterns after her favorite WTA player, 2021 Olympic gold medallist Belinda Bencic.

“She takes the ball so early,” Jovic said. “And her footwork is very … cutting the angles, so she just makes her opponents feel suffocated. That’s what I would like to try to do.”

The daughter of physicians Bojan and Jelena, Jovic’s technical prowess was honed at the Jack Kramer Club. The Rolling Hills Estates venue was the starting point for World No.1s Lindsay Davenport, Pete Sampras and Tracy Austin, who frequently still gives Jovic advice. The club’s general manager, Peter Smith, is one of Jovic’s coaches, alongside the USTA’s Tom Gutteridge. Together, they have their eye on the next stage in the teenager’s development.

“From the ground I move well and can apply good pressure,” Jovic said. “I would like to improve the first strike elements and to be able to punch through opponents really quickly in the points. A lot of players are able to burn you right away if you’re not urgent enough.”

As a child, Jovic tried her hand at a variety of sports, including swimming, gymnastics and soccer. To this day, she’s still a keen skateboarder. But it’s the individualism of tennis that held her attention the most.

“I enjoy the process of getting better,” she said. “It’s up to you how good you want to be and how hard you want to work. It’s rewarding when you know you did it yourself and get the results.”